Notes:

I interpreted the prompt a little differently and went for the general "boy next door" theme.Title from The Ending by Wafia.

Work Text:

Alec hurried off the porch and walked back home. Thirty-eight steps, thump thump thump. Two clicks, to open and close the door. One rasping noise as he slipped down the wall beside it and hid his face in his hands. Traces of evaporated tears ghosted on his cheeks. He groaned, remembering the first time he saw him.

Three years ago, Magnus had moved into the house next to his. Alec eyed him getting out of the car, with his unicorn slippers and dotted sweatpants, carrying a box full of plush animals. He was sold within a minute.

Falling for the boy next door, he huffed, how cliché could one get? “The boy next door”, god, it sounded as if he was an ordinary “nice guy” from some cheesy rom-com or whatever. Magnus couldn’t be described as that. Magnus was… Everything.

He was beautiful, for starters. Honestly, Alec could talk for hours about the sparkle that had taken permanent residency in his eyes. Or how his skin always seemed to glow as if he had his own private sun right under the surface. The way his hair magically changed color every two weeks because “I can’t let people think I’m boring, Alexander!” or “I need to coordinate it with my outfit and I can’t wear the same thing every day!” Hell, he even matched his nail polish with his hair, it was adorable. Alec smiled fondly as he thought about that one particular shade of blue he bought Magnus for his birthday after he’d gotten so excited about it.

Magnus was smart, too. From that first time when he saved Alec from public embarrassment by answering the question for him in Chemistry class to the time where he came over to help Alec with said subject for the upcoming test. Not only school-smart, but people-smart as well. Maybe he was just Alec-smart. Alec never seemed to be able to hide anything from him. Every lie or act of evasion, Magnus saw right through it.

Magnus knew Alec. Through and through. It was almost as if he could read his mind. Which hurt even more, because Magnus didn’t acknowledge his feelings even once. Alec was unsure if Magnus simply trying not to hurt his feelings, but he definitely pretended not to see and Alec, in turn, pretended not to care.

Despite the obviously one-sided crush, Alec couldn’t stay away from him. Magnus was too enticing, too generous, too much of a good person. Magnus held him when he felt like crying for no reason. Magnus stood by his side when he told his parents he was gay. Magnus gave advice on how to talk to boys, not knowing that the only boy Alec was interested in, was him.

And now it was ending. Magnus was leaving. Alec sobbed. After years of a mixture between admiring from afar and pining from up close, it was all over. He never even told him he loved him.